Intervention
by Animegrl421
Summary: Dougie watches far too much, notices too much, and does nothing. - Minor!slash, Minor!hints of abuse, fluff, I don't know the real title of this pairing so here are random ones: General Chaos, Professor Disarray, Dotters - Oneshot, Rated for the hints.


**Intervention**

Dougie shifted, the aluminum he wore crinkling with the action. Beside him, Butters put on his Professor Chaos outfit. He sighed, watching the blond contemplate their newest plan to destroy humanity.

"Well, General Disarray, I think we've finally done it this time! Why, we're going to be better than before!"

He blinked in response, waiting for the plan to come into effect. Looking around the old storage room, he wondered if they'd ever change their years-old equipment. From the way Butters still pretended the Rubik's Cube was a cube of "doom" then he guessed not.

"Now, General Disarray, we will use this to rid ourselves of humanity!" Butters said in his lower, more-confident Professor Chaos voice before laughing.

Instead of joining in, he stared. Butters' laughter tapered off, "Uh-General Disarray?" Butters asked in concern. "What's the matter?"

He found himself shrugging though he knew exactly was wrong. It'd been nine years since the super-villain idea began, and still it crawled along to this day. Same uniforms, different sizes. He tilted his head as Butters went back to his speech against the people of South Park. Should he stop it? He already knew his answer as the blond laughed again. Butters never laughed like that in school, or really anywhere but in their "hidden" personas. Although fake, it did have a certain ring to it, one of a childish descent.

As the plan continued, he wondered whether he should give the other's hopes up now or after they calculated the entirety of their strategy. If he did it now, they could come up with new plans, but Butters would be sad again… If he did it later they would do all this work for nothing. Not that it was much work either but still.

He chose to wait, Butters was too proud-looking at the moment. He didn't have the heart to break it to him so soon. "Where are we going to get a dog to take the cube?" he asked, holding his tongue about the rest.

"Oh-oh yeah…" Butters looked thoughtful for a moment, "Stan has a dog, doesn't he? We'll use him!"

Dougie nodded, "Then, how do we set off the cube's power?"

"Oh! Oh, hamburgers…" Butters turned, glancing at said-cube encased in a dusty glass case. "Well, I don't know, General Disarray…" There was a pause, then, "I-I got it! The slightest touch sets off the cube's powers right?" he said excitedly, reading their old faded paper that read "Do Not Touch." "So, we just have to train Stan's dog to throw it so it'll hit the ground and then explode!" There was more laughter.

Unable to hold his tongue this time, Dougie continued his skeptic questions, "If it's set off by the slightest touch then how do we move it? We'd have to touch it right? And how do we get the dog to do the trick without us there to tell him?"

"Well….I…" Butters sighed heavily, walking to a table they had recently put in-one of the slightest changes they had made since childhood. He took off his helmet as he sat in a chair, settling it on the surface in front of him heavily. "Well…So much for that, General Disarray. I sure am glad you stopped me from touching the cube, well I-I don't know what I'd have done otherwise…"

Dougie wanted to explain to the blond that the cube wouldn't have done anything-that it was just a made-up deal. But then, Butters _had _to know that by now, right? No one could just _not _know that… Somehow, Dougie still had a pit feeling of doubt. He switched thoughts, not wanting to think on the subject more than he had already. "Want to go watch TV then?" he asked, knowing by the way Butters slouched in his seat that the other wouldn't want to continue with their "evil plans" for the night.

Butters shrugged, sighing and picking up his helmet once more. He looked at it for a moment, fingers rubbing the sides before he moved from his seat and walked to the door. "I guess, Dougie," Butters replied finally, lifting the door from the bottom handle. "Who knows, maybe _Terrance and Philip _are on!"

Dougie followed at a slower pace, closing the door once they both exited. It didn't escape his notice that the blond still hung on to every re-run episode of the series everyone had adored years prior.

When they got to the blond's house, it came as no surprise to Dougie that Butters' parents were outside and waiting for them. His father's arms were crossed, his eyebrows furrowed, face reddening from neck up in-what Dougie assumed to be-anger. Butters' mom was just as mad face-wise, her eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed. He wanted to know why they were angry but-at the same time he'd learned not to care at this point. They were just like that, always mad at Butters for something or another. Dougie had yet to figure out why though, Butters was one of the most-tame teens in South Park. Probably further out, now that he thought about it.

He looked to Butters, who had gone stiff at the sight. The rant started just as they got within ten feet of the adults. Dougie only half-listened, feeling the embarrassment rolling off the other in waves. The blond ducked his head, his father's yelling dampening any leftover cheer in his stance. An arm rubbed the other unconsciously.

Dougie looked away, not able to stand the sight for reasons he himself had yet to understand. He bit his lip, trying to focus on something besides the yelling. He just felt so awkward, just like always… Bits and pieces of the argument passed through his barriers even as he forced equations into his brain-

"-e've had it up to here, young man!"

He shifted his weight from foot to foot, thinking about how much weight each had at any given time, meaningless calculations entering his mind.

"-Grounded, mister!"

"I know."

"What did you say?" The deadly tone made Dougie look up at the scene. There was a pause, Mr. Stotch's face flushed further upward. Their eyes met briefly, Dougie looked away first.

He wondered if it was time to go, he wanted to desperately either way. Glancing to the side, he watched the blond's shoulders drop in submission, head turning away from Dougie completely.

"Go home, Dougie…"

The muttered sentence from Butters had him pause a bit longer, it was just…different. Defeated. Shaking his head of the thoughts, he took one last look at the scene. Mr. Stotch's hands were clenched tightly, white sprouting from the knuckles. His wife was crying at this point, shoulders shaking with quiet sobs.

Wide eyes watched Butters as the blond stayed still, not so much as looking in his general direction as a goodbye. He backed away first then, feeling silly, turned and walked home at a much faster pace than usual. He suddenly wished he had listened harder.

The next day he visited the house as soon as the cars pulled from the driveway and towards the separate places of work. He went to the door, about to knock when he thought better of it, Butters might not hear him that way. Decided, he picked up some small rocks from the ground as he made his way to the front of the house. Looking at the house, he saw the window he knew was the one to Butters' room.

Biting his tongue in concentration, he threw the first rock, missing the window and hitting the siding instead. He tried again, hitting the bottom pane this time. He was about to throw another when there was a shift in the shadows behind the window. He blinked, a hand reaching up to cover his eyes from the blinding sunlight.

There was a shimmer on the glass as it was lifted, revealing an exhausted-looking Butters. His blond hair was bedraggled, spiking in random directions moreso than usual. A hand rose to palm at half-lidded eyes, "Dougie?" he asked. "What-what're you doing here? I'm-I'm grounded, you know…" The last was left open, an awkward tension meeting the words.

Dougie shrugged, "I know." He decided to leave it as it was, not wanting to explain the overwhelming feeling he had all night about Butters. It was stifling and had left him shifting and turning in bed over and over again. He'd tugged his hair, scratched at his sheets, shouted into his pillow but to no avail. His chest had hurt, stomach upset, thoughts doing nothing to settle either. He had barely gotten to sleep by the time the sun rose. "Are you okay?" he asked bluntly, eyes squinting in hopes to see the other better.

Butters bristled at that, "Why, I'm swell, Dougie, just-just a little sore from bed is all!"

The redhead doubted that, but had no reason to call the blond out on his lie. "You want to hang out today?"

Butters gave a pained look at that, head turning back to his room before looking out again. "I-I don't know, I, well, I'm supposed to be grounded…"

Dougie tilted his head at that, "They're not home." he confirmed, having seen the cars leave himself. "They won't know."

Butters looked at the driveway, then shook his head, "I'm not supposed to have visitors…"

"I thought Professor Chaos didn't follow the rules." he reminded, giving a point-blank stare.

The blond blinked at him, a steady silence growing between the two before a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Dougie felt his chest lighten at the sight, everything was alright then… "Pro-Professor Chaos doesn't do anything his parents tell him," Butters said, more to himself than to Dougie. "Why, Professor Chaos doesn't even have parents!"

Dougie watched for a moment longer, the added background to the character sifting through his mind. Butters laughed again, before he pulled away from the window. Knowing he was about to be let inside, Dougie stepped up to the door, waiting for it to open.

When it did, it revealed none other than a Professor Chaos clad Butters. "Get in, General Disarray, we can't let the regular people know your true identity…"

Stepping inside, he closed the door behind him. Removing his shoes as per the Stotch's usual request, he heard Butters moving away from the foyer. Glancing to his side, he saw Butters move to the kitchen. "Do you want anything, General Disarray?" the timid voice spoke.

"That's okay, I had pancakes at home, I'm pretty full."

"Aww, I wish I had some pancakes right about now…" There were sounds of clanging dishes and the opening and closing of cabinet doors before Butters stepped out again holding a bowl of cereal in his hands. "So, uh, what do you want to do first, General?" he asked, taking a bite of his cereal and moving to the couch.

Dougie followed, eyes watching the spoon travel, mind concentrating only on the sustenance on top. "Is that Captain Crunch?" he asked before he could stop himself. Of course it was Captain Crunch… He sat on the cushion beside Butters.

Butters swallowed his mouthful before answering, "Y-yeah it is, why, did you want some?"

Dougie shook his head, "No, I don't want any." He wanted to take it away, to tell the blond it wasn't the type of cereal he should eat. That Dougie, who was two years younger, didn't even eat those cereals anymore. But he didn't. It was stupid of him to think, even more foolish to act on. "It scrapes your mouth." he commented absently. The TV was turned on, another re-run of _Terrance and Philip _was displayed. Did it ever stop playing?

"Well, it's okay, because it's good anyway…" Butters replied simply before laughing at the scene displayed on the old television.

Everything was so old…

Dougie watched silently, just like always, his thoughts running rampant with the confusion littering his mind recently. The laughter beside him faded as the show cut to commercial. "You okay, Disarray?" Another laugh after that, "Why, that rhymed!"

He didn't comment on the latter words, "Yeah, I'm fine, Chaos." he replied. "Had a bit of a bad night too."

Butters' eyes watched him closely at that, "You-you did?"

"Yeah, I couldn't get to sleep." he admitted. He wondered why the Stotches were so angry… Not being able to withstand his curiosity any longer, he asked, "Hey, why were your parents so upset yesterday?"

He felt the cushion underneath him move as Butters did. "I-I don't know what you're talking about Disarray, Chaos doesn't have parents." he reminded quietly.

Refusing to break the fantasy, he asked, "What about Butters then?"

He glanced up to see the eyes of the other narrow, "What about him?"

Raising an eyebrow, he wondered about the harsh tone, "What were his parents mad about?"

Silence that even the TV could fill hit them. It lasted for a minute before, finally, Butters answered, "Steven and Linda didn't like Butters not doing his chores correctly."

The TV turned off suddenly before Dougie could ask anything more. Butters stood, the cushion bouncing slightly with the movement. "C'mon, Disarray, to the base!"

Dougie didn't waste breath sighing, following the other as he left the bowl on the coffee table before grabbing his jacket and shoes and leaving the house.

A week passed of the same answers, same plans, same occurrences. Even the angering of the Stotch parents resumed but for various other reasons each time. Not that Dougie wasn't used to their groundings, he'd been dealing around the spontaneous re-scheduling since the day he became General Disarray for Professor Chaos. But lately, it was as if they were dying for absolute perfection. Butters had to stay home an entire day just to re-clean the house after his father pushed everything from the shelves and table tops to the floor, saying it was all _wrong. _

That day, he left in a hurry, not knowing how he was supposed to act by that. Butters had just stood there, shoulders hunched, head bowed, hand fiddling with the opposite arm's sleeve.

He hadn't come back the next day, nor half the other until he gained the courage to go back. He was being stupid, after all. It was nothing. It was probably normal even, for the Stotch family at least…

He knocked on the door, having missed his friend during his own volunteered absence. There was no answer. He knocked again, a little harder this time. Nothing. Pulling away, he looked down the driveway, checking for cars yet again. Nothing. He looked to the window, the curtains were drawn.

He made his way to the backdoor, stepping over some particularly long and jagged weeds along the way. He knocked again, hoping the other was near this door enough to hear him. After a moment of slightly-impatient waiting, he tried the knob. The door pushed open, creaking with the action. "B-Butters?" he asked, looking into the dark space that greeted him. "Butters!" he said more loudly this time after receiving no answer.

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Arms stretched out in front of his chest as he stumbled through the darkness, even with his glasses it was too blurry to see the room. The only source of light came from the windows on the opposite side of the room.

"Butters?" he called, groin hitting a counter his hands weren't at level with. A small sound of pain escaped him.

"Disarray?" Dougie heard. Perking, he walked through the pain towards the voice.

"Why is it so dark in here?" he asked.

There was a sigh, "Disarray, I-I just can't take it anymore…"

That didn't explain the darkness… Feeling a bit confused, he answered, "What're you talking about?" He found the wall, a hand pressing against it to lead, the other held out in front of him to stop him from hitting random objects. Making it to the living room, he found himself going towards the window there- light beaming from it toward the stairs underneath, a shadow confirming exactly where Butters sat.

He met the stairway's final landing, his eyes adjusting better to the darkness. He made out the outline of the other, the light from the window helping him as he stepped onto the first stair. As he stepped further upward towards the other, his eyes could see clearer.

"I'm no super villain… I'm just-I'm just a boy dressing up to play one."

Dougie sat beside the figure as he met it, knowing it to be Butters. He was curled in on himself, knees drawn up in front, head tilting toward the floor, chin holding it up against the arms crossing over knees. "Chaos, you-"

"Dougie, I'm, I'm so confused… I can't do anything right. I can't be good, I can't be evil, and I sure as heck can't be anything in-between. What am I? What is my purpose? Dougie, I-I don't think I have one. If there is one it's just to annoy everyone…"

"Butters…" Dougie breathed, concern filling his tone. His chest tightened further, "Don't think like that!"

"But it's true, Dougie!"

"No, it's not!"

There was a brief silence, not unlike the ones they always engaged in whenever they were together. It wasn't as awkward, emotion too stiff in the air to allow much room for another. "Dougie, I can't do anything right." He was about to speak, to deny the words, but Butters continued, "The kids at school don't like me, teachers don't like me, heck, my own parents don't like me. I'm just not a good person, but I'm not bad either…"

"Butters, you _are _a good person. You try your best, and you help everyone that you like as well as anyone who's wronged you… I just…" For once, Dougie was out of words. He didn't know what to say. Instead, he found his muddled words weren't needed. He took action, a hand pushing the other's head upward by cheek, body moving for better access as he pushed his lips to the blond's trembling ones.

They were warm; soft… It was only for a second, a brief peck that lingered on the lips of both. "I like you Butters." he admitted, knowing for certain now that he did.

Butters didn't respond, a hand trailing to his mouth slowly. Pads of fingers pressed his lips unsurely. Dougie spoke again in his absence, "There are so many things about you, Butters. So many things I just sit around and watch. I can't say I completely understand. But I do know that they make you unique. Your complete innocence, your childish viewpoints…. Your courage."

He shushed the resistance to his words. "We're leaving here today." he said with finality. Butters immediately stumbled over his words as he tried to ask why, and give useless explanations for why he wouldn't do just that.

"Forget Chaos, Butters." _Forget your family. _"Forget there ever had to _be_ a Chaos."


End file.
